The coolest part about this is that they're doing it all themselves:
Kind of reminds me of this:
Maybe we'll see real robot boxing matches before too long. Could robot players be the new frontier in spectator sports? It would certainly do away with any controversy about enhancement drugs...
Here's something you don't see every day:
Water striders, insects that walk on the surface of the water, may never set foot on land in their lives, and yet they’re not swimmers. Over the past million or so years, this insect—sometimes called a water skater—has optimized its use of surface tension to balance its 0.01-gram body on lakes, ponds, and even oceans.
Researchers Yun Seong Song, a PhD student in mechanical engineering, and Metin Sitti, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, both from Carnegie Mellon University, have recently built a robot that mimics the water strider’s natural abilities. The first water striding robot, with an appearance and design closely resembling its insect counterpart, doesn’t ever break the surface tension of the water, and is highly maneuverable.
Right now, the robot can only do its stuff in water of about 3mm depth. Stay tuned...
(Via GeekPress.)